Comic relief refers to the inclusion of humorous elements, characters, or scenes within a primarily serious or tragic work, with the intention of providing relief to the audience from the emotional intensity or tension of the main plot. The purpose of comic relief is to offer moments of laughter or light-heartedness amidst the more somber or intense themes of a tragedy or dramatic work.

So, option A accurately describes comic relief as the use of humorous elements within a tragic work to provide relief from the seriousness of the main plot.